Floor jack



Oct. 13, 1964 A. s. N. 'rlMMoNs FLOOR JACK s n 1 m N m u a 0 m w M m W u2 N. Q A K vw k Q if \m w N\ m.\. mm ww www a m h w# mm. Nvo o@ I j@ NM.Q. .Nh \.m%% WXQ wm.\\. k.; uw mk. b mmv QR w MN d .mm\\ m N ON\ NN\ Nwm N. Fm .N

This invention relates to a machine or apparatus for use in laying`iloors and which` is adapted to be utilized for pulling iloorboardstogether into abutting engage- Vrnent and forl holding the boardsimmovable while the boards are nailed or otherwise anchored to thesupporting frame. Y f y More particularly, it is an object of thepresent in- 1 vention to provide a portable electrically driven machinefor the aforedescribed purpose includingy a wheeled frame' to facilitatemovement of the machine and which additionally functions as' anabutmentv when the machine is in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine `or apparatuswhichrmay be quickly engaged with and disengaged from a joist of a oorframe and a board of a lloor` disposed on said frame to materiallyreduce the labor involved in laying door.

i Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fullyV apparent from the followingV description of thedrawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

FIGURE 1 isla side elevational view, partly broken away, showing the oorjack in an operative position;

FIGURE 2 is an'e'nlarged cross sectional view ofthe .floor jack, takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary substantially central longitudinalsectional view of .a part of the floor jack;

yFIGURE 4 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly in section, of anotherpart thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of one elementv of the floor jack, and

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of said element.

`Referring more specifically to the drawings, the iloor jack in itsentirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 8 andincludes a wheeled carriage, designated generally 9, having a frame 1.0formed of a rigid lpiece of angle iron including a substantiallyhorizontal top portion 11 and a depending, substantially vertical,

front side or wall 12.` Arms 13 are secured, as by welding, as seen at14, in FIGURE 1, to end portions ofthe front wall 12. The arms 13 extenddownwardly Vand loutwardly from ythe frame it), in a direction away fromits top portion 11, and have outturned substantially aligned lower ends15 forming axles 'on each of which is journaled a wheel 15.

A` sleeve member 16 is supported on and disposed cross-wise of theintermediate portion of the top wall 11, and an electric control box 17has an intermediate 21. A reduction gear unit 22 is mounted onV thefrontV 3,152,787 Patented Get. 13, 1964 ice ward end 25 which isdisposed forwardly of the frame lll. A Lcollar 26 has a central bore Z7,one end of which is enlarged and internally threaded, as seen at 28, toengage on the threaded sleeve portion 25. The collar 26 includes anannular liange V2,9 having a threaded pe? riphery 30.

A long feed screw 31 extends through the bore 32 of the sleeve 16 andthrough thebore 27. A nut 33 threadedly engages the screw-31, forwardlyof the collar 26 and has a forward end engaging nonrotatively in acentral opening 34 of a large sprocket wheel 35, to which said nut issecured7 as by welding, as seen at 36 in FIG- URE 3. The sprocket wheel36 is disposed directly beneath the sprocket wheel 24.

The nut 33 has an annular flange 37 at its rear end which ts rotativelyin a cap member 38 having a front wall 39 which is provided with a largecentral opening il in which a part of the nut 33 turnably lits. The cap3S has an annular rearwardly extending ilange l1` which is disposedaround and spaced from the flange 37, and which has an internallythreaded rear end 42 which threadedly engages the threaded periphery 39for securing the cap 38 to the collar 26. As seen in FIGURE l, setscrewsL13 extend inwardly through the flange 41 and against the threadedperiphery 3i) for locking the cap 38 to the collar 26. A thrust bearing44 is disposed within the cap 33 around the screw 31 and between theflanges 29 and 37. An endless chain 45 is trained around the sprocketwheels 24 and 35.

A stop or abutment d6 is secured by a fastening 47 to the forward end ofthe screw 31. The screw 31 has a restricted stem 48 projecting from itsrear end, as best seen in FIGURE 4, which extends transversely throughVthe intermediate portion of elongated stabilizingbar 49, which isimmovably secured to said stem as by welding, as seen at Sil. A clevis51 is attached to the stem 48 beyond the bar 49 for attaching one end ofa chain 52 to the screw 31. Y,

A stay iron or anchor 53 is connected to the opposite end of the chain52 and includes a plate S4 having depending curved spikes or cleats 55and an upwardly extending inclined handle S6. The rear end of the chain52 is attached by a clevis 57 to an apertured web 5S of the stay iron53.

An electric cord 59 leads from the control box'17 to the motor 20 and isconnected to an electric plug Gil which protrudes from said control boxand which is adapted to be connected to a conventional electricalextension cord, not shown. An electric switch 61 which is mounted in andprotrudes from the control box 17 is interposed in the electric cord 59for stopping, starting and reversing s the electric motor Ztl.

A chain guard 62 may be disposed -over the sprocketwheel 24 and theupper part of the chain 45 and sup-V ported by braces 63 from the casingof the motor 2li.

A part of a joist 64 and a part of a stud 65 is illus- Vtrated andconstitutes a part of la oor frame on which a number of boards 66 areshown supported. The boards .'66 may constitute a part of a subflooring,to illustrate one of the motor 2l) and has a forwardly extending outputshaft 23 which is driven at arreducedrspeed from the motor and to whichis secured asmall sprocket wheel -The sleeve or tube `16 has anexternally threaded'forapplication and use of the lloor jack 8. The topportion 11 of the frame 1) is positioned on one of the boards 66 whichpartially rests on the joist 64 and the front side 12 abuts a forwardedge of said board 66 and an outer side of the joist 64, as seen inFIGURES 1 and 3. The anchor or stay iron 53 is forced Vdownwardly tocause the spikes 55 to beembedded in one of the boards 66 which is logcated remote from thejoist 64. Assuming that the plug switch 61is swungin one direction from its intermediate off position as illustrated inFIGURE 2 for completing an electric circuit to the motor 20fordrivingthe sprocket 1 ,9 wheel 24, chain 45, and sprocket wheel 35 in adirection so that the nut 33, turning with the sprocket wheel 35, willfeed the screw 31 from right to left therethrough, as seen in FIGURES 1and 3. The stabilizer bar 49 is disposed in sutiiciently close proximityto the ooring 66 to prevent rotation of the screw 31 and to insurefeeding of the screw through the nut 33. The thrust bearing 44 absorbsthe thrust of the nut 33 toward the collar 26 during this movement ofthe screw. As the screw is slowly.

advanced from right to left the chain 52 is initially tensioned, afterwhich the screw and chain exert a pull on the stay iron or anchor S3 fordrawing the boards 66 located between the joist 64 and the board towhich said anchor is secured, toward one another and into tight abuttingengagement. When this is accomplished, the switch 61 is returned to anoff position to de-energize the motor 20, and while the boards 66 arethus held tightly together said boards are secured to the framing 64,65. The switch 61 is then swung in the other direction for causing themotor to be driven in other direction for feeding the screw 31 in theopposite direction or from left to right of FGURES 1 and 3 through thenut 33 until slack is produced in the chain 52. A downward pressure canthen be exerted on the handle 56 for rocking the stay iron 53counterclockwise, as seen in FIGURES 1 and 6, for disengaging the spikes55 from the flooring 66.

The bar 49 also functions as a handle for propelling lthe jack S fromone location to another on the wheels 15 after disengagement of theframe from the joist 64.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously beresorted to, without departing from the function or scope of theinvention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A door jack comprising a frame member including a top portion and adepending front wall, a reversible electric motor supported above andsecured to said top portion, means secured to said frame and disposedcross? wise thereof, a nut swivelly supported by said means forwardly ofthe frame, a feed screw extending threadedly through said nut andsupported thereby crosswise of the frame with a part of said feed screwextending between the frame and electric motor, a stay iron connected toone end of `said screw and having depending spikes adapted to beanchored in a ooring board, and means including a sprocket wheelandchain drive forming a driving connection between the electric motor andsaid nut for revolving the nut in one direction when Ythe motor isenergized for feeding said screw through the nut in a direction forpulling the stayiron toward said frame.

2. A door jack asv in claim 1, a stabilizing bar rigidly secured to anddisposed crosswise of said screw end to prevent rotation of the screwwith said nut.

3. A floor jack as in claim 2, a pair of transversely spaced wheels,means connecting said Wheels to the frame and combining therewith toform a carriage, and said stabilizing bar constituting a handle forpropelling the jack on said wheeled carriage.

4. A floor jack as in claim 1,v said rst mentioned means comprising asleeve supported on and disposed crosswise of the frame, a collardetachably secured to a forward end of said sleeve, a cap detachablysecured to said collar, said Vnut having a part rotatively conned insaid cap.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS269,519 Gandy Dec. 26, 1882 286,981 Williams Oct. 16, 1883 1,624,090Blaine et al Apr. 12, 1927 3,105,675 Blackburn Oct. 1, 1963 v FOREIGNPATENTS 159,097 Germany Mar. 1, 1933 709,219 Germany Aug. 9, 1941

1. A FLOOR JACK COMPRISING A FRAME MEMBER INCLUDING A TOP PORTION AND ADEPENDING FRONT WALL, A REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC MOTOR SUPPORTED ABOVE ANDSECURED TO SAID TOP PORTION, MEANS SECURED TO SAID FRAME AND DISPOSEDCROSSWISE THEREOF, A NUT SWIVELLY SUPPORTED BY SAID MEANS FORWARDLY OFTHE FRAME, A FEED SCREW EXTENDING THREADEDLY THROUGH SAID NUT ANDSUPPORTED THEREBY CROSSWISE OF THE FRAME WITH A PART OF SAID FEED SCREWEXTENDING BETWEEN THE FRAME AND ELECTRIC MOTOR, A STAY IRON CONNECTED TOONE END OF SAID SCREW AND HAVING DEPENDING SPIKES ADAPTED TO BE ANCHOREDIN A FLOORING BOARD, AND MEANS INCLUDING A SPROCKET WHEEL AND CHAINDRIVE FORMING A DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND SAIDNUT FOR REVOLVING THE NUT IN ONE DIRECTION WHEN THE MOTOR IS ENERGIZEDFOR FEEDING SAID SCREW THROUGH THE NUT IN A DIRECTION FOR PULLING THESTAY IRON TOWARD SAID FRAME.